Building Commissioner John Hasbrouck said the building does not appear to be structurally compromised.
NORTHAMPTON - No injuries were reported Friday afternoon when a pickup truck headed northbound on North King Street crossed the center line and struck the Pioneer Spine and Sports Physicians building, but police say the driver will face charges in connection with the incident.
Police detective Corey Robinson said the crash occurred about 3 p.m. The pickup hit the building at roughly a 45 degree angle, lost its front driver-side tire and continued another 25 to 30 feet before coming to rest near the property’s parking lot.
Robinson said the tire penetrated the building; however, pickup did not. The impact left a gaping hole in the middle of the building.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported Linda Owens was sitting at her desk when the vehicle struck her office.
“I didn’t see anything, I was too busy trying to get out of the way of the moving wall. It came behind my desk, it moved my filing cabinet and knocked me off my chair,” Owens told the Gazette. “I saw the flying glass and the flying plaster.”
Owens is the office manager for Dr. Mary Pat Roy, who was seeing a patient in another part of the suite at the time.
Robinson said the driver, Cheryl Tobacco, 40, of Hatfield, refused medical treatment at the scene. Tobacco told police that she blacked out behind the wheel.
Charges against Tobacco are forthcoming, Robinson said.
Building Commissioner John Hasbrouck said Monday the steel-frame building does not appear to be structurally compromised. The truck hit the building between two of its support columns.
“It’s obvious that the two support columns weren’t affected,” Hasbrouck said, adding that the city ordered that a number of rooms in that particular area be sealed off. “It’s not weather-tight at this point.”
The city has asked the owners of the building to hire an engineer to further assess the damage. The building did not appear to be open as of about 9:45 a.m. Monday. Personnel with Pioneer Sports and Spine were not immediately available for comment.